"The Lady in the Portrait" - A Yamagata Folktale

A long, long time ago, there lived a villager named Magozaburō in a town called Kurokawa. One day, when Magozaburō was going to the river as usual, he saw that a melon had been washed ashore. He decided to pick it up and take it home. When he was about to place it in his household altar, though, the melon split in half with a crack! Out of the melon, an unbelievably cute little girl was born.

The girl quickly grew up into a beautiful princess. However, the princess was so beautiful that Magozaburō could not help but gaze at her from dusk until dawn. To put it simply, he became unable to work anymore. The princess thought for a bit and decided to draw a portrait of herself for Magozaburō to bring to work. One day, Magozaburō had hung the portrait on a tree in the field and was watching it as he worked. Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew, and the portrait was blown all the way into a castle garden.

The lord who looked at the portrait was stunned by the princess’s overwhelming beauty. He immediately ordered his retainers to find the princess, and against her will, she was taken to the castle and wedded to the lord. When Magozaburō returned home, he realized that he had not only lost the portrait, but the princess was also gone!

Magozaburō set out on a journey to find the princess. He decided to sell the princess’s favorite food, chestnuts, as he searched. With a great, loud voice, he called out, “Purple chestnuts from Mt. Taranoki!” as he walked. From far away, the princess heard his voice. She smiled for the first time since she was taken to the castle and the lord was delighted.

The lord immediately summoned the chestnut seller, Magozaburō. Hoping to please the princess, the lord switched clothes with him and exited the castle to imitate the way he sold chestnuts. Soon, however, the sun set, and the gates of the castle were closed. The lord was trapped outside.

Afterwards, Magozaburō, who had become a lord, returned to Kurokawa together with the princess, not forgetting to bring home some treasure as well. From then on, Magozaburō became a priest for the god of Kurokawa, and his descendants lived long and prosperous lives.

Excerpt translated from: 庄内・最上・村山・置賜 山形の昔ばなし　第一集　ページ18−19